Sacramento, CA - OTA - Page 10

The gray side panels do not have to be gray but we do believe that they could prevent burn-in on misadjusted sets. For now we are leaving them up unless you guys want "Stretch-o-Vision".

Bob

NOOOOOOOOO!

I can't even receive KMAX, yet, but still,

NOOOOOOOOO!

Tracey

AAAAAAAA! No Stretch-O-Vision, please. I just spent a good amount of time convincing my buddies over at KXTV to bag their "stretch." If you're taking votes though, put mine in the "I don't like gray panels" column. Unless there is HD content, I prefer to tune to your analog channel to avoid them.

--Bill R.

When ESPN HD switched to using gray textured panels, I didn't like them either, but I've gotten used to them. I like it better than black - don't know why though. Might be fun to have them slowly move around - like a lava lamp

Off topic.

Anyone know anything about FX.? Like when/if Fox will make it HD?
Watching Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me would be damn nice in HD!

Anybody in Sac with ESPN HD able to watch the A's Yankees game right now? Both espn and espnHD report "Program not available in your area" on directv. Why would this be?

John

I suspect it's because Fox Sports Bay Area has the game. (654)

Okay - not available there either - whoops - no channels are available right now - D*'s problem or mine, I wonder?


CNN (202) is available, but FOX (360) isn't - hmmm, conspiracy, maybe?

Tracey

You are probably correct about "FSN Bay Area" -- I *am* receiving the A's/Yankees game on that channel (D* 654).

--Bill R.

Ok I found it there, somehow the search didnt show it there. Thanks for your reply. Too bad Its not in HD tho.

Johnny

I think my HDTiVo needs a reboot - I have great signal an everything, including OTA, but every channel comes as "Channel not available"

BTW - I don't think it was in HD on ESPNHD either - it's not listed on their site.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvl...s/espnhd/index

Tracey

ETA - reboot seems successful - I can come down from the ceiling now - I think that's the first time HDTiVO's crashed on me - gave me quite a scare - these things don't seem the most reliable hard drives in the world

I'm up in Nevada City and the game is on Fox Sports Bay Area D* channel 654. I'm also getting it on D* ESPN analog channel 206 and HD channel 73. But don't feel bad - the feed is not HD. I just talked to my son in San Jose who also has D*. His ESPN feeds are blacked out like yours.
Blackout rules are sometimes hard to figure out. I'm classified as outside the Sacramento Grade B service area and that's why I think I'm getting the two ESPN feeds. Maybe someone else like me out in the boonies can confirm this also.

Johnny, did you ever hear anything from KCRA? The email bounced for me. I've called and left messages at Programming and Engineering, but I' haven't heard anything.

You'd think this sort of information would be available somewhere online. I guess the affiliates that aren't passing on the signal would rather that we not find out - they're probably embarrassed

Tracey

The email went through ok, but I have not heard anything yet. This does not surprise me tho, you can't email anybody these days without waiting a week or 2 for a response. I'll probably get an answer when the Olympics are over . Out o curiousity I checked the NBC page for L.A., it looks identical to KCRAs page, must be an NBC given template, anyway, they don't say anything in L.A. about broadcasting HD either, so we must be the only 2 people in the world wondering about this.

I guess we'll just have to watch and see.

Johnny

If we're the only 2 people wondering about this, it doesn't bode well for the numbers on HD viewership! Maybe it's a good thing Neilson doesn't count HD, the networks might decide USDTV or something like that might be a better use of their bandwidth.

Tracey

Which is really kind of sad, because sports are the 1 and only reason I went with HD. Movies I would generally rather see on DVD, and I could care less if reruns of "everybody loves raymond" ever make it to HD. I have been watching baseball for the first time in years, just to experience it in HD, so I will really be disappointed if the olympics are not given to us in HD.

Johnny

Well, the olympic opening ceremonies are now showing in my D* guide for KCRA 3-1 next friday and it does not have the HD symbol with it.



Johnny

I'm getting ready to move into a new (to me) home near Hazel and Madison. In my current house(Arden area), I have a nice big outdoor antenna on the roof and have no problems recieving the local digital stations.

There is no antenna on the new place, and with everything else that will be happening in the near future on the house, I'm not excited about mounting a large antenna.

Does anyone know how well a silver sensor will work at that location? My second choice would be a UHF antenna in the attic, but the silver sensor would be soooo much easier!

Thanks for any feedback.

Jeff

KCRA passed the HD feed of the Olympics from SLC and they seem to pass everything else the network gives them, so I really don't see any reason to worry.

I am about a mile west of Hazel and 1/2 mile south of Madison. I get strong signals with an outside antenna mounted just above roof level at one corner of my house pointed at Walnut Grove though a gap in the trees south of me. I have the advantage that on a clear day (rare), at night, I can see the lights of the broadcast towers standing on my roof where the antenna is. Is your antenna going to be high enough to not have signals blocked by the terrain south west of you and the American river bluffs?

That's very useful to know, spwace. I wasn't in this area, then, or into HD.

Worry is probably too strong a word, but I do like to plan in advance

Tracey

What is on the normal channel will not be what is on the HD channel, so you can't go by the guide info. Looking at the HD schedule on nbc.com, it looks like the opening ceremonies will be at 6p Pacific.

Here is a link to the TV page.

KCRA has been really good about passing through NBC's HD (except that they didn't pass through the ED Widescreen version of the NASCAR race a few weeks ago) so I am not too worried yet either

KCRA does pass the HD don't they?

Am I missing what you two are talking about?

http://www.thekcrachannel.com/techno...78/detail.html seems to hint that.

OK, just called KCRA and a nice young lady went and asked and came back and said Yes...HD. She said the tech guys had a meeting this A.M, and they were talking about it.

Excellent! This was the info I was looking for.

Thanks,

Johnny

Thanks, MyGrain - I've called twice, and left messages, but didn't get an answer.
(Although, in their defence, I did miss a call from the 916 area code earlier today, I'm assuming it was KCRA, but they should have left a message)

This is excellent info, if the worst thing I have to do is set up manual records, I'll be a very happy couch potato.

Tracey

Thanks for the info Rory. I'm not sure yet, but it looks like I'm going to be sitting a little below the bluffs. Hopefully not too far down, tho. The house is just off of Phoenix, which sits a little low for really decent line of sight.

My plan is to start with a silver sensor, then work up from there.

I would like to see KVIE DTV limit channel capacity to 3 channels at most 0600 to 1800: 6.4 PBS You, 6.3 PBS Kids, 6.2 KVIE6, 6.1 OFF AIR. 1800 to 0600 6.2 KVIE6, 6.1 PBS HD. The duplication of programming on 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4 is truly a waste of bandwidth and subjects all to unnecessary artifacts. As it stands with 6.1 and 6.2 only in operation PBS HD has unacceptable PQ with excessive artifacts. That is, when KVIE DTV is on the air.

I totally agree, Brad. I'm watching "The Real Olympics" as I type, and the artifacting is terrible.

You start the petition - I'll sign.

Tracey

Hi Tracey,
To you and all others interested, I just heard from the Director of Engineering at KCRA. He was a good customer of mine when I was selling video microwave equipment. Anyhow, he said that KCRA will be carrying the NBC HD Olympics feed 24/7 on channel 31-1. The FCC has waived the 75% simulcating rule to permit an uninterrupted feed.
Enjoy!

Carl

Hi again, Tracey. I goofed on the channel number in my previous response. KCRA's digital channel is 35, not 31. Depending on the PSIP grabbed by your set-top-box, it'll show up as either 35-1 or 3-1.

Carl

Carl,
So no 3.2? I ask because I 'm seeing mosaic of 58.1 w/o audio on 3.2.
Does that mean all bandwidth will be allocated to 3.1?

How would all of you feel about 6.1 going to 720p until some sort of fix?